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Abstract
The requirements for performance of VR systems vary for different application domains. Likewise, there are various technological options to achieve each of the requirements. Therefore, an early evaluation to determine optimal configuration of VR systems based on domain specific requirements for simulations and interactions is of immense value. In this paper, the authors have demonstrated the use of systems engineering, particularly Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), to describe a complex decision space in Virtual Reality development. Further, the authors then employed a descriptive decision analysis framework to identify suitable configurations to enable VR development. MBSE is used to develop descriptive models to specify needs of the application domain, requirements of the VR system and to define the system architecture - functional and physical. This will serve to demonstrate how MBSE can be used to generate information to improve decision making for VR designers as well as engineering managers and decision makers. VR application in emergency response training is the exemplary case considered in this paper.
Keywords
Trade Space Exploration, Virtual Reality, Model Based Systems Engineering, SysML, Systems architecture.
Introduction
Complex systems are made up of numerous components interacting together to create a behavior that is "not predictable from isolated components but occurs through the interaction of multiple components" (Bloebaum, Collopy, & Hazelrigg, 2012; Hmelo-Silver & Azevedo, 2006). Other features of complex systems are the "heterogeneity of their components and their multiple levels of organization". These features distinguish complex systems from complicated systems (Johnson, 2006). It can be argued that Virtual Reality (VR) does not qualify to be categorized as a complex system, that the behavior of the system can be modeled and accurately predicted before it is deployed. However, considering software development, human interactions and the potential for collaborative applications within the system boundary lead to complexities. Additionally, given that VR does not provide purpose without context, the interfaces of the integration of VR with other domains like education, medicine, among others are plagued with inherent complexities. Researchers have explored methods of assessing VR configurations as a means to evaluate the effectiveness of their applications in training (Schmidt et al., 2019). Most studies have focused on the operational phase. It is therefore imperative to have a tool with which developers can assess the various...